Economic Development

Welcome to economic development. This page will help residents, especially the business community, understand the resources locally available to help build a robust and sustainable economy in and around the City of Tenino.

The Thurston EDC works to connect local businesses with experts and resources to help them stay competitive through its Center for Business & Innovation (CB&I), providing counseling, mentoring, and technical assistance to new and existing business owners.

The CB&I hosts several workshops each month to help business in all stages of development. See the CB&I calendar to find the right one for your business.

Shop South

Shop South is a buy local campaign designed specifically for the unique needs of the rural business owners and rural shoppers in the South Thurston County area. Supported by the South Thurston Economic Development Initiative (STEDI), the mission of this campaign is to instill local pride through intergenerational participation and to build community wealth. Representatives from Rochester, Grand Mound, Bucoda, Tenino, Rainier, Yelm, Roy, and McKenna have all been at the table in designing, implementing, and leading this effort. Continued inter-community collaboration is central to our success moving forward. We believe that the more local businesses can work together, the more successful we will be. Please see our 10 reasons to shop local flyer for more information.

Bountiful Byways

Information coming soon.

Thurston Investment Network: Think Local

Looking for new business opportunities? Looking for additional capital? "Think Local" is the Thurston Investment Network, a membership-based network designed to add a local component to a business portfolio. The network is aimed at investors, but is obviously tied to local businesses. Think Local is a project of the Thurston Economic Development Council. Learn more at Thurston Investment Network web page.

SW Washington Agricultural Innovation and Business Park

This is an initiative being spearheaded by the Thurston Economic Development Council. In concept, this would be a regional resource anchored by two educational institutions, Washington State University Extension and Centralia Community College.Thirty-two organizations throughout the region currently support the initiative. The goals for this initiative include:

Establishing a long-term hub for agriculture and rural business

Creation of 150+ new jobs in the agricultural business sector

Increasing regional production of value-added food processing, manufacturing, and packaging

Increasing value and revenue from food and farm businesses

Driving the success of existing, and creation of new, local businesses